MORPHOLOGIC FINDINGS IN MITRAL VALVE PROLAPSE

Description

Clinical and necropsy findings are described in 56 patientswith mitral valve prolapse (MVP): 15 patients, aged 16 to 69 years (mean39), died suddenly and MVP was the only cardiac condition found atnecropsy (hereafter called isolated MVP); the remaining 41 patients hadother conditions that were capable of being fatal. Of the latter 41patients had other conditions that were capable of being fatal. Of thelatter 41 patients, 7 aged 17 to 59 years (mean 45), had associatedcongenital heart disease, and 34 patients, aged 17 to 70 years (mean 52),had no associated congenital cardiac abnormalities. Compared with the 34 patients without associated congenitalheart disease and with non-MVP conditions capable in themselves of beingfatal, the 15 patients who died suddenly with isolated MVP were younger(mean age 39 +/- 17 versus 52 +/- 15 years; p = 0.01), more often women(67% versus 26%; p = 0.008) and had a lower frequency of mitralregurgitation (7% versus 38%; p = 0.02). The 15 patients dying suddenlywith isolated MVP also were less likely to have evidence of rupturedchordae tendineae (29% versus 67%; p = 0.04).